Phoebus Girls Rip Deep Creek 77-31

March 01, 1989|By SONNY DEARTH Staff Writer

NEWPORT NEWS — A day after winning the Peninsula District girls' basketball tournament title, Phoebus High School added Group AAA Eastern Region quarterfinal foe Deep Creek to its growing list of hopelessly overmatched victims.

Scoring 27 points in the second quarter, the Phantoms improved their record to 25-0 by romping to a 77-31 win over the Hornets Tuesday night at Ferguson High School.

If Woodrow Wilson beats First Colonial tonight, the Phantoms would play Lake Taylor at Deep Creek. But if First Colonial wins tonight, Ferguson will host the Phoebus-Lake Taylor contest.

Meeting Cox would have carried an added incentive of revenge for the Phantoms because the Falcons eliminated Phoebus 35-25 in last year's regional quarterfinals. But Phoebus Coach Mike Tallon said his team should be well-prepared for the Titans nevertheless.

"I saw them play a couple of games last week," said Tallon. "They're a more athletic team than Cox and they play a lot more man-to-man.

"We were kind of looking forward to playing Cox, but we're not disappointed.

"We're in the toughest bracket," added Tallon. "We're going to play a team that's really fired up. They've been winning quite a few since (Deloris Johnson) returned after being academically ineligible in the first semester. She's averaging 22 points per game."

Deep Creek (13-11), which made the eight-team regional field by upsetting Indian River in the semifinals of the Southeastern District tournament, realized it stood as much chance of surviving the Phantoms as a mouse would amidst a pack of starving lions.

"We're thrilled just to be here," said Hornets' Coach Randy Long, whose team dropped a 61-35 decision to Woodrow Wilson in the Southeastern tourney final Monday. "They (Phantoms) have a super team. They were solid at every position.

"I just hope we can go out of here saying we played the number one and two teams in the state (in two days)."

Backup guard Carleen Hargraves led Phoebus with 19 points, her second-best scoring production of the season. Niki Reid (17), Monica Hart (12) and Juanita Cook (10) also reached double figures, despite sitting out almost all of the fourth quarter as Tallon cleared his bench.

"The reserves came in and did a great job," said Tallon. "The second quarter was a good quarter. After that, it was all academic and we were flat."

The Phantoms bolted to early leads of 6-0 and 12-4, but Tallon received his first technical foul of the season with 1:59 left in the first quarter.

"The officials really got (my players) fired up," said Tallon. "I hardly ever (complain) about a call they make on us. I only get upset when we get hammered and nothing gets called."

Cook and Reid scored six points each as Phoebus assumed a 20-8 advantage after the first period, and Hart - a 6-foot-2 center - utilized several size mismatches to score 10 points in the second quarter as the Phantoms rolled to a 47-19 halftime edge.

"We're ready to go all the way," said Hart. "Someone ahead might give us more of a challenge, but we work pretty hard in practice."

"I gave (Hart) the ball a lot," said Hargraves. "She really worked for the ball, so she got it.